


L'ascenseur (The Elevator)

by totallyrhettro



Category: Rhett & Link
Genre: Conversations, Elevators, Fluff, French Characters, French Link, Friendship/Love, Happy Ending, Happy endings guaranteed, Kissing, Language Barrier, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-12-27
Updated: 2018-12-27
Packaged: 2019-09-20 20:47:09
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,193
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17029740
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/totallyrhettro/pseuds/totallyrhettro
Summary: Rhett meets a handsome Frenchman in an elevator.AU in the early 2000's where Rhett and Link haven’t met before this story and Link is from France.





	L'ascenseur (The Elevator)

**Author's Note:**

> Link is a Frenchman. He speaks French; I don't, and you might not either, so most words that are in French are put in these brackets. i.e. {These words are in french}. There is a little actual French in there for flavor (hopefully I translated correctly).

Rhett was late. Again. He was supposed to be home at 6:00 pm sharp because he was expecting a call from that coffee shop down the road. They were going to call him about playing there on the weekends. The place had been booked for months but now he finally had a chance. If they said yes, he could play his guitar there for some extra cash. Plus, there was always a possibility that he could get discovered; his dream was to be a country singer, just like his hero, Merle Haggard.  


In the meantime, the young blond in his early twenties was fresh out of college and working at a construction company, Black and Veatch. It was a steady job with decent pay, but he wanted so much more. He daydreamed constantly about getting his big break. It often got him into trouble, unfortunately. It also was what made him miss his bus this evening and now he was running across the lobby of his sky rise apartment towards the elevator. As he got closer, he saw a man with glasses, carrying a large box, get into the elevator and press a button. The doors started to close.

“Wait!” Rhett shouted. “Hold the doors!” The man in the elevator saw him just in time, sticking out his foot to stop the sliding doors from closing shut. Rhett ducked inside. Panting, he looked up to thank the stranger. “Thanks, man. Been running late all day.” 

“Pardon,” he said with a thick, European accent. “Je ne parle pas l'anglais.” Rhett blinked.

“Uh, I'm sorry, what?”

“I no speak English,” the man answered, slowly. “French. New to America.”

“Oh.” Rhett just smiled, not sure what to say to that. He turned to face the front of the elevator, watching the numbers monotonously count up to twenty-five, the floor he lived on. At first he was going to stay silent the rest of the way, but it was a long ride and he was quite the people person. “I'm Rhett.” The brunet stranger scrunched his face, as if he was trying to figure out what Rhett was saying. Patting his chest, the taller man repeated himself. “Rhett.” The other man nodded.

“Mon nom est Link.” Now it was Rhett's turn to be confused. The stranger shifted the box in his arms, causing it to clatter a bit, so that he could get a free hand out and tap his own chest. “Link.”

“Well it's nice to meet you, Link.” He pointed at the cardboard box. “You must be moving in.”

“{I just moved in,}” Link explained, in french. “{Only a few boxes left.}”

Rhett pointed at the only other button pressed into the keypad. 

“And you live just below me? Guess we'll be neighbors.” Link glanced at the buttons.

“{Oh , you live right above me,}” he guessed. “{We're neighbors!}”

“Sorry, I don't speak any french. You sure you don't know what I'm saying?” Link shrugged, helplessly. Just then, the elevator reached the twenty fourth floor with a ding and the doors opened. 

“{This is my floor,}” Link said, stepping out. “{I'll see you later!}”

“Well, it was nice meeting you, anyways. Hope I see you later.” He really did. This Link guy was awfully cute and his French accent was very sexy. As Link started down the hallway, Rhett snuck a glance at his backside. ‘ _Nice._ ’

~ ~ ~

A few days later Rhett was coming home from work, walking this time, when he saw Link in the lobby by the mail boxes. He was looking through some letters, not really paying attention to the world around him.

‘ _Say something_ ,’ Rhett told himself. To Link he greeted “hello!” and Link looked up before smiling broadly.

“{Hello, Rhett.}” He gave a little wave. “{How are you today?}”

“How are you today, Link?” 

“{I wish I could understand you,}” Link replied. Rhett sighed.

“You don't understand a single word I’m saying, do you?” The shorter man just shrugged and chuckled softly. The two of them walked into the elevator where Rhett pressed the button going up. He stuffed his hands in his pockets and stared bashfully at the floor. Link meanwhile was sorting through his mail and looking just like a model out of a magazine leaning against the far wall. Once again Rhett’s brain was screaming at him to talk to the hot guy next to him, even though he had a boyfriend and Link didn't speak a lick of English.

“I hope your first week here is going well,” he began. Link didn't reply, but looked up at him patiently. “My week’s been a bit rough.” Still, no answer, but his beautiful blue eyes looked so kind and gentle. “I moved here from North Carolina, out west. My boyfriend told me he could help me with my music career.” Rhett smiled, but sighed a little. “I mean, Paul is very sweet and I know he's trying very hard… He's very busy you know, with his DJ career. Very busy.”

“{You have a nice voice,}” Link noted. “{And your accent is so exotic.}”

“You probably don't want to hear about my problems. Wish you could tell me about yours. I mean, your accent is amazing but, I don't remember anything from my French class in high school.”

“{I should have focused more in English class.}”  


“Yeah, sorry. I guess I just… feel like talking to someone. Even if they can't understand me.” The elevator dinged and Link stepped forward to leave. “See you later, Link. Thanks for listening.” 

“Au revoir!” Link said with a smile so adorable, Rhett felt his knees go a bit weak. He never thought he'd be falling for a cute French guy that lived in his own building. 

‘ _Stay cool,_ ’ he reminded himself as he watched Link head off. ‘ _You don't even know if he's gay._ ’

“I have _got_ to learn french.”

~ ~ ~

Over the next few weeks Rhett continued to see Link now and then. They often rode the elevator and every time they would get to talking. Well, one would talk while the other listened. Neither knew anything the other was saying but it didn't matter, at least not to Rhett. He loved the idea of having someone to talk to, someone to share his hopes and dreams with. That someone used to be his boyfriend but things weren't going very well between him and Paul.

“He's been working a lot lately,” Rhett explained one day, despite Link not understanding a single word. “Which is good, don't get me wrong. His job pays most of our bills, but we don't have any time for just us anymore. Plus he's seeing an awful lot of that Barry guy.” Rhett sighed and there was silence for a moment.

“{I should get a haircut,}” Link began, running his fingers through his dark hair. “{This style is so outdated, don’t you think? Maybe I then could meet a nice guy, go for a drink ... Things would be so much easier if I was back home.}” Rhett looked over at the man beside him, losing himself for a moment watching the man's lips flow elegantly over his words.

“I have no idea what that meant but I loved hearing it. You could be saying absolute nonsense and it would probably sound just as sensual.”

‘ _Sensual? What?!_ ’ Rhett mentally shook himself. Putting on a brave smile he reminded himself that Link didn't understand the words he was saying.

“Anyway, I sure I'm just over thinking things. Haven't been able to get a gig in forever and my other job is _so_ boring. I swear sometimes me and the other guys at work just sit and talk. It's so… pointless.” He looked down, wistful. 

The elevator dinged. Link started to get off, then turned and looked up at Rhett. sympathetically.

“{I do not know why you are sad , but I'm sure that life will get better. For both of us.}”

“I'll see you around too, buddy,” Rhett replied with a smile. ‘ _Why can’t I get a guy like that?_ ’

~ ~ ~

Life for Rhett became quite tedious. He got a few gigs now and then, but he wouldn’t consider it steady work. At home he saw his boyfriend, Paul, less and less. The seemingly rare times he was home he was either sleeping or eating and never in the mood to talk, let alone anything else. Rhett wanted to spice up their relationship by surprising him with a romantic dinner, but Paul worked late too often.

One night he didn’t come home at all. He did call; he told Rhett he fell asleep while working on a project with Barry. Rhett was very supportive, telling his boyfriend it was alright and not to worry about it, but deep down he knew the truth. At this point he didn’t feel jealous, not even betrayed. He just felt… rejected. The fact that the man he had been in a serious relationship for many years just stopped loving him… it hurt. It hurt deeply, like a stab into his soul. 

Rhett didn’t understand. Was he not good looking enough anymore? Not caring enough? Not supportive enough? Too needy? What? Other the next few months he found himself talking more and more about his problems to the cute guy in the elevator, whom he saw almost every day now, if only for a few precious moments. Whenever Link responded, it was always in French so obviously he didn’t know what Rhett was saying, but it felt good to let it out anyway. Just talking made him feel better.

“I should break up with him,” Rhett muttered one day. “You think I should break up with him?” Link, of course, didn’t answer but looked up at him, trying to give him the most supportive expression he could. “I should break up with him.” He didn’t like the idea too much, despite no longer having any romantic feelings for the man he used to care for. Paul owned their apartment; it was under his name, so if Rhett wanted to leave but that meant finding his own place. If he didn’t live in this building any more, he didn’t know if he would see Link any more and despite the strangeness of their friendship, he would miss it. He would miss him.

“Can’t really afford an apartment in this building on my own,” Rhett continued. “My job does not pay _that_ well.” He slouched against the elevator wall and looked over at Link with sad, downtrodden eyes. The Frenchman frowned, sympathetically. “But I can’t stay, I just… can’t.” The elevator dinged and the doors slide open, but Rhett didn’t move. Link didn’t move either. “I wish you could understand me,” Rhett told him. “I know I don’t really know you, other than you’re a good listener.” He chuckled softly. “That and you’re… The most beautiful man I’ve ever seen, and I can’t even tell you.” Sliding down the wall he slumped to the floor in a very depressed heap.

Link looked down at his friend for a moment, thinking to himself. He chewed on his lips, considering his next move very carefully. After a second or two, he crossed the small room to sit down beside Rhett, resisting the urge to put his arm around the tall, blond man. When he spoke, his voice was soft and kind. Stranger still, when he spoke, it wasn’t in French, but English.

“You are kind man,” he began, startling Rhett from his stupor. “You are gentle man. I learn English to talk to you. I want to surprise you.” 

“Well, I’m surprised! You speak very well for someone who didn’t speak English at all just a few months ago.” He wondered how much of what he said the last few weeks Link actually understood. Link blushed.

“When I come to America, I am alone. I am… lonely. You talk to me, all days and I hear. I listen. I become not lonely. I think you are beautiful. I not say because you have boyfriend, but I like you very much. I would like to eat with you at restaurant?” The last sentence was more of a question and Rhett felt his heart soar, hopeful and flattered.

“I no longer have a boyfriend and I would love to eat with you at a restaurant. Like a date?”

“Yes. I would like a date with you. Lucky me to have date with handsome American man.” Rhett chuckled, half from amusement and half from embarrassment.

“I think it’s me who is lucky to have a date with such a handsome Frenchman.” Link helped him to his feet and they paused, toe to toe, their faces inches apart. “The most handsome.”

“I can kiss you?” the shorter man asked, hopeful.

“Yes, please.” Rhett bent down slightly and placed a gentle kiss on the other man’s wonderfully soft lips. They were warm, and sweet, tasting slightly of peppermint. They were the best lips Rhett had ever kissed and he never wanted to kiss anyone else’s. After that, his other problems seemed to melt away. After that, he knew everything was going to be just fine.  


****

**The End**


End file.
